Principal Designer

ROLE OVERVIEW We’re looking for a Principal Product Designer to help define this next chapter of Maven. This is an experienced IC role for someone who operates at the intersection of product strategy, systems thinking, and exceptional craft . You’ll work directly with CEO and leadership to shape how Maven bring this vision of human expertise to life. As one of the most senior designers at Maven, you’ll define new product surfaces, shape strategy, and build systems that scale across an evolving platform. WHAT YOU'LL DO Shape product strategy and set design vision: Lead the design vision for complex, cross-functional initiatives, defining strategic direction and ensuring experiences align with both customer and business goals. Simplify complex problems: Translate ambiguous product challenges into clear, elegant, and accessible design solutions. Elevate design quality at scale: Champion strong visual design craft, thoughtful interaction design, and scalable visual systems. Lead by example and set the bar for design quality at scale. Drive cross-functional strategy: Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Marketing to define holistic customer-centered strategies that drive high impact. Leverage AI-driven workflows: Apply AI-powered tools within the design process to accelerate ideation to production. Lead through influence: Provide design leadership and mentorship across the company, elevate the work of others without formal people management. DESIGN WITH AI AT MAVEN This is evolving quickly, but here’s how designers at Maven work with AI today: Design, code, and prototyping are increasingly unified. As a team, we prefer to use Claude Code and MCP workflows to move quickly from idea to production. Designers are also free to experiment and evolve their own tool stack. We build our own leverage. Designers are encouraged to create internal tools and workflows to eliminate repetitive work, accelerate asset production, and more. Experimentation is encouraged. We provide monthly stipends and encourage designers to explore new tools. Optimize for impact. What matters is how quickly ideas turn into real product. We do not track token usage or number of PRs. YOU SHOULD APPLY IF YOU HAVE 8–10+ years of experience designing digital products, including time operating at a Lead or Principal level A track record of owning ambiguous, high-impact problems and turning them into clear product direction Exceptional visual and interaction craft, with a high bar for quality and detail Strong systems thinking, designing for scale rather than one-off solutions AI fluency, with experience integrating AI into your workflow to increase speed and/or exploration Excellent communication and storytelling skills to influence cross-functional partners and leadership Experience shaping product direction and strategy, not just executing within it ABOUT MAVEN Maven is the home for human expertise on the Internet. We started with practical, professional courses on key skills taught by leading experts in your field. Think: learning AI Product Management from a head of product at OpenAI or an engineering lead at Meta. Our cohort-based model means engagement rates are 80-90% instead of the 5-10% from video-based learning. Over 500 experts use Maven and they earn $40M/year on the platform. Maven now aims to be the #1 destination for expert creator businesses that include workshops, courses, corporate consulting, 1:1 coaching, and educational products. Today, we're direct to consumer but eventually we'll offer certificate programs, MBA-like programs, and sell directly to businesses. We’re the industry leaders in a growing segment of the creator economy. As the need to learn AI grows, Maven has become the place to learn valuable skills. As AI takes over more mid-level IC tasks, access to human expertise is ever-more important. We've raised $25 million from Andreessen Horowitz, First Round, and a supportive network of industry angels. Join us to do the best work of your career, and help every professional access the world’s most impressive human experts. TEAM & CULTURE Design is a strategic partner at Maven. We work closely with founders and cross-functional leaders to shape the roadmap and deeply understand our customers. We move quickly, iterate often, and value people who take ownership and bring strong perspectives. Our EPD team is small (3 PMs, 3 Designers, 7 Engineers), but highly leveraged. As a Principal Designer, your impact will be felt across the entire product and company—especially as we expand formats, scale the business, and redefine how people learn from experts. We value people who: Think like owners and operate with high agency Care deeply about craft and product quality Communicate clearly and challenge ideas constructively Are comfortable with ambiguity and proactive in defining direction Focus on high-leverage work that drives real impact COMPENSATION $200k - $270k in salary with strong benefits and equity. LOCATION Remote; US time zones +/- 1 hour